Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture

March 27, 2009 - August 2, 2009

This groundbreaking exhibition casts new light upon Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), one of the most influential artists of the recent past. This show demonstrates that Duchamp harnessed the power of portraiture and self-portraiture both to secure his reputation as an iconoclast and to establish himself as a major figure in the artworld. In the process, he played a key role in the reinvention of portraiture, exerting a transformative influence from the early 20th century to the present. The exhibition showcases approximately 100 never-before-assembled portraits and self-portraits of Duchamp ranging from 1912 to the present, including works by his contemporaries Man Ray, Alfred Stieglitz, Francis Picabia and Florine Stettheimer as well as portraits by a more recent generation of artists, such as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Sturtevant, Yasumasa Morimura, David Hammons, Beatrice Wood and Douglas Gordon.

View of "Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture." Photo by Mark Gulezian.

View of "Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture." Photo by Mark Gulezian.

View of "Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture." Photo by Mark Gulezian.

View of "Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture." Photo by Mark Gulezian.